In general, a spot cooling device has a low price, exhibits high reliability, and does not need maintenance. Thus, the spot cooling device is used as a solution to spot cooling operations in various industrial sites, and utilizes general compressed air (compressor) used in the industrial sites as a driving energy source.
The spot cooling device generates a cold air flow and a hot air flow at the same time, without a mechanical driving unit.
The spot cooling device is used in an operation for cooling electronic control and communication equipment, an operation for cooling a control box of industrial equipment (maintaining temperature), an operation for cooling a PLC motor controller (maintaining temperature), a spot cooling operation of a machine work process (replacing cutting oil), an operation for cooling a CCTV camera installed in a high-temperature environment, an operation for solidifying molten metal, an operation for cooling a soldered or welded portion, an operation for cooling a high-capacity switching element, an operation for cooling a high-temperature mechanical sealing and a process for manufacturing performance test equipment for creating a severe low-temperature environment.
Such a spot cooling device has been disclosed in Korean Patent No. 10-0880276 registered on Jan. 23, 2009 and entitled “Vortex tube” (related art 1) and Korean Patent No. 10-0901741 registered on Jun. 2, 2009 and entitled “Air dryer using vortex tube” (related art 2).
In the spot cooling devices disclosed in the related arts 1 and 2, however, compressed air passing through a rotation induction member of a rotating chamber is rotated and introduced into the entrance of a separation chamber, and then rotated and moved to the exit of the separation chamber. Therefore, the spot cooling devices exhibit low efficiency in separating the compressed air into cold air and hot air.
The spot cooling device is utilized as a device which continuously supplies cold air to a heating portion (spot), in order to constantly maintain the temperature of the environment where the spot cooling device is installed.
Such a cooling device with an automatic temperature control function has been disclosed in Korean Patent No. 10-1211482 registered on Dec. 6, 2012 and entitled “MGO cooling system” (related art 3) and Korean Patent No. 10-1297382 registered on Aug. 9, 2013 and entitled “Automatically controlled cooling system” (related art 4).
However, since automatic temperature control units disclosed in the related arts 3 and 4 require electricity and drive a shutoff valve through an electrical device, a driving voltage must be applied to the automatic temperature control units.
Therefore, the cooling systems are difficult to use in the environment where electricity cannot be used or the use of electricity must be minimized for low-power operations.